ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Nurses are involved in conducting research and incorporating evidence into their practice. However, barriers exist at the individual, unit, and organizational level related to understanding, conducting, and evaluating the evidence. The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) conducted a study to understand levels of education in research, the extent of experience, and needs and barriers to research at the individual and organizational levels in emergency nursing. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used to poll members of the ENA. A 62-item survey instrument was designed to assess five areas: 1) nurses' research values, skills, experience, and awareness; 2) organizational settings' opportunities, barriers, and limitations to research; 3) nurses' understanding and comprehension of research and evidence; 4) presentation and accessibility of research; and 5) continuing educational topics to improve knowledge of the research process. RESULTS: Respondents (n = 948) identified barriers at the individual level that included lack of knowledge about critiquing research studies and familiarity with the research process. Barriers at the unit level included obtaining help from administrators and other staff in starting a project or having the authority to change practice. Barriers at the institution level included lack of support systems such as protected time to conduct research or implement changes in practice. DISCUSSION: Emergency nurses are highly motivated and interested in learning more about conducting and utilizing research to improve practice. Perceived personal, unit-based, and organizational barriers were identified through this research in an effort to highlight areas for improvement at the local and national levels.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Diffusion of Innovation , Emergency Nursing , Needs Assessment/organization & administration , Nursing Research , Nursing Staff, Hospital , Cross-Sectional Studies , Education, Nursing, Continuing/organization & administration , Educational Measurement , Emergency Nursing/education , Emergency Nursing/organization & administration , Emergency Service, Hospital/organization & administration , Evidence-Based Practice/organization & administration , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Motivation , Nursing Education Research , Nursing Methodology Research , Nursing Research/education , Nursing Research/organization & administration , Nursing Staff, Hospital/education , Nursing Staff, Hospital/organization & administration , Nursing Staff, Hospital/psychology , Organizational Culture , Practice Patterns, Nurses'/organization & administration , Professional Competence , Societies, Nursing , Surveys and Questionnaires , United StatesSubject(s)
Emergency Treatment , Heart Failure/diagnosis , Heart Failure/therapy , Nurse's Role , Adrenergic beta-Antagonists/therapeutic use , Aged , Biomarkers/blood , Continuity of Patient Care/organization & administration , Diuretics/therapeutic use , Emergency Nursing/methods , Emergency Treatment/methods , Emergency Treatment/nursing , Emergency Treatment/trends , Heart Failure/epidemiology , Heart Failure/metabolism , Humans , Male , Monitoring, Physiologic/methods , Natriuretic Agents/blood , Natriuretic Agents/therapeutic use , Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/blood , Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/therapeutic use , Nurse Practitioners/organization & administration , Point-of-Care Systems , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Pulmonary Wedge Pressure , Severity of Illness Index , Triage/methods , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
More than one million Americans have been diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Advances in prevention and treatment of HIV have led to an increased life expectancy for patients with HIV infection. Due to their increased life span, HIV+ patients are now presenting to hospitals with an increased number of diverse late-stage complications, such as cardiomyopathy and other cardiovascular conditions. These complications are as a direct or indirect result of HIV disease, HIV treatment modalities, comorbid conditions, dietary and lifestyle factors, and unknown etiologies. Cardiac complications, particularly HIV-related dilated cardiomyopathy, are potentially life-threatening diagnoses, with symptoms that may be minimized with appropriate cardiac-specific assessments and treatments, patient teaching, and collaboration among nurses caring for the HIV-positive client with cardiac disease.